work/life balance

Can work/life balance be achieved? This is a question most mothers, and fathers in the workforce frequently ask.

The employers typically assume that the employees are selling their time, or some say even their soul, when they sign the employment contract. In the old days, that is called establishing a career.

Times have changed since. People are no longer looking for a career path. That search for a career evolved in a search for work experience, and even that has evolved yet again, and the present employees are looking for an experience in relation to work. There seems to be less importance placed in having a career particularly in the younger generation in search of a more meaningful life.

It is to be seen if this change would be affected by the current state of the global economy. Would employees shift to looking for job security?

A different issue rests with mothers and fathers in the workforce, particularly employees assuming this new role of parenthood. As we are get displaced from the traditional extended family support, it is no longer a luxury to seek for work/life balance. But a necessity. Parents now have more concerns - is the hired help reliable? is the home secure enough for the young children?

There's so many things the employers could do to help these employees. As a part of the corporate social responsibility initiative, the employer could review its existing employment terms to consider how the work/life balance can be achieved. Social responsibility can include taking care of the workforce within the organisation, and need not be strained into a search for some endangered species to protect.

Besides young parents with the need to look after the little ones, there are also those employees who need to look after their elderly parents. This is becoming more of an issue as there are progressively fewer siblings within each family to assume this role.

The traditional organisational structure would need to change to achieve these work/life objectives. In the old days where a person is assigned a task, in the world of technology, it may be possible to assign the job to one person with copying a buddy or a team which can then act as a back-up. Employers who are able to evolve would be in the position to provide flexibility to its employees. Most times, it is only a matter of flexi-time that the employee looks for. The flexi-time would allow the employee to run out to pick up the children from school, or to spend some afternoons at home to see that the children are alright at home, or when the children or the parents are not well, the flexibility to attend to medical care. There are workplace that have shown this can be done and such employers are to be commended for their contribution to social responsibility.

Some employees require more than flexi hours. Getting the chores and errands done is one thing. Can employees spend some meaningful time with their children or parents? Not just to attend to the urgent needs but to spend some quality time. In order to spend quality time, the employee would need to be with the family during family time. And that family say for a swimming outing, or a shopping day, may need to be in the afternoon. This could mean re-scheduling some afternoon work to the evening when the children have gone to bed.

What the employer can do is to allow some employees to work from home to accommodate the odd working hours. Working from home has the benefit of securing a safe environment both for the employee and his or her family. The employee can be home to see that everything is safe and proper care is given and at the same time, work either early in the morning or later in the evening without being out on the road in the dark and becoming victims of crime themselves. Homes should be equipped with proper workstations to allow employees to be able to fully concentrate on work while at home.